Britain Plans Biomass Development

The London-based Renewable Energy Association (REA) has described the British government’s proposals for developing power supplies from biomass materials as a “missed opportunity,” according to a press release from the trade association.

Britain has announced measures to promote the production of electricity from biomass, including a grant for green boilers, according to press reports.

The measures “will certainly help the biomass industry,” says Graham Meeks, head of heat at the REA, “but they will have only a limited impact in delivering the sustained long-term industry growth the government should be looking for.”

The government plans include two years of funding for a capital grant program, the establishment of a new business center to provide biomass market development and continued pressure to build demand through planning.

Meeks and the REA have called on the government to take a stronger stance, saying biomass can meet 7 percent of the U.K.’s demand for heat and cut carbon dioxide emissions by more than 20 million metric tons per year.